An article in Chalkbeat dives into the impact of new curriculum being implemented in Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD). Leading Educators CEO Chong-Hao Fu explains the importance of great curriculum.

“The core is about evidence, the evidence coming from the text as opposed to pulling from anywhere,” said Chong-Hao Fu, CEO of Leading Educators, a nonprofit headquartered in New Orleans that trained Detroit teachers in the new English Language Arts curriculum. “We’re just starting to realize that what makes good readers is knowledge of the world.”

A new partnership between DPSCD and Leading Educators builds on DPSCD’s master teacher initiative with a focus on helping teachers make instructional decisions that accelerate learning breakthroughs. Over the next year, Leading Educators and DPSCD will increase district-level capacity for continuous improvement, scale shared leadership that allows master educators to mentor peer teachers, and implement regular collaborative learning opportunities for ELA teachers.

LEADING EDUCATORS WILL SUPPORT BALTIMORE CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS’ EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN MATH INSTRUCTIONPartnership will expand math content experts’ opportunities to accelerate growth

August 27, 2019

BALTIMORE, MD - This fall, Leading Educators will launch a partnership with Baltimore City Public Schools to strengthen the district’s capacity for continuous growth in math.

This partnership will strengthen City Schools’ district math team and Academic Content Leads’ (ACLs) support to middle school teachers as they use the Eureka math curriculum. Strong professional learning opportunities and high-quality instructional materials empower teachers to bring engaging lessons to life that help students gain the skills, knowledge, and experiences they need to thrive in school and in life. City Schools has established a strong foundation of teacher leadership and collaborative learning that holds potential for accelerating the success of black, Latinx, and economically-disadvantaged learners. This initiative stems from City Schools’ Blueprint for Success, a strategy designed to help students develop the knowledge and skills to meet their future aspirations.

During the first year, Leading Educators will design professional learning cycles for 6-8th grade teachers mapped to the Eureka math curriculum. School-based content experts will use these resources to facilitate recurring learning and planning for their peers based on student data and teacher practice evidence. Together, Leading Educators and City Schools will provide instructional leadership training and coaching for three pilot schools, observing these activities to make design adjustments before expansion to additional school sites. City Schools staff will lead these design, training, and coaching activities with eight additional schools by the second year with Leading Educators supporting with co-design, shadowing, and feedback.

Leading Educators has a strong reputation for developing scalable, equity-centric instructional approaches that connect high-quality curriculum and aligned professional learning. Previous and ongoing partnerships with districts including DC Public Schools and Tulsa Public Schools have strengthened conditions for teacher growth, expanding teachers’ access to opportunities to build comfort using high-quality instructional materials. Student achievement has accelerated as a result. This partnership with City Schools will work toward similar outcomes on a two-year timeline, paving a path toward effective improvement options for school systems that maximize existing resources.

Janise Lane, Executive Director of Teaching at Learning at City Schools shared, “We are excited by this opportunity to partner with Leading Educators to maximize our professional learning in math. As we continue to build momentum for change in ELA, we now are granted the same opportunity in math classrooms. While the high-quality curriculum has ensured a foundation for equity in our classrooms, we can now ensure, through professional learning, that the implementation is providing accelerated outcomes for each and every student in City Schools.”

Chong-Hao Fu, CEO at Leading Educators, shared, “Baltimore City Public Schools is on the forefront of so many incredible innovations in improving educational equity - from deep commitments to accelerating students’ opportunities in literacy to adopting continuous improvement practices - and we know this partnership will help students and teachers alike to rise to great heights.”

This partnership is made possible by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Professional Learning Partnerships Initiative, an effort to advance professional learning (PL) services which will support the equitable implementation of high-quality instructional materials. Collaborative design will begin in October with a planned roll-out of school-based support to pilot schools in January 2020.

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ABOUT LEADING EDUCATORS

Leading Educators is helping education leaders build sustainable environments where teachers and students thrive, igniting the potential for exponential impact in schools and across districts. We partner with states, districts, and public charter networks to design curriculum-based learning and support structures that create the conditions for continuous improvements in teaching across their schools--helping teachers create excellent and equitable student experiences every day. www.leadingeducators.org

LEADING EDUCATORS LAUNCHES PARTNERSHIP WITH DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS COMMUNITY DISTRICTProfessional learning approach will help teachers bring engaging English language arts lessons to life

July 22, 2019

DETROIT, MI - This week, master educators and English language arts (ELA) teachers from high schools across Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) begin their participation in a new effort to foster excellent and equitable teaching.

Launched in partnership with Leading Educators, a national nonprofit focused on systemic improvement, the program builds on DPSCD’s master teacher initiative with a focus on helping teachers make instructional decisions that accelerate learning breakthroughs. School systems across the country like DPSCD are recognizing the importance of an instructional approach that leverages high-quality curriculum, opportunities for teachers to build knowledge and skill together, and supportive school conditions. When teachers have effective opportunities to grow in their practice, schools are better equipped to ensure every student succeeds in school and in life.

Over the next year, Leading Educators and DPSCD will increase district-level capacity for continuous improvement, scale shared leadership that allows master educators to mentor peer teachers, and implement regular collaborative learning opportunities for ELA teachers. Master teachers will have access to additional supports including monthly professional development workshops, opportunities to analyze data and prepare for facilitation, and instructional leadership coaching.

Leading Educators is a recognized innovator of curriculum-based professional learning design for school systems through their work with school systems including DC Public Schools, Tulsa Public Schools, and public charter school networks in more than 15 cities in the United States.

Leading Educators CEO Chong-Hao Fu shared, “Teachers need to feel comfortable finding balance in making instructional decisions that meet every students’ needs without feeling overwhelmed. This partnership builds on the powerful work that DPSCD has been doing to align teacher support and high-quality curricula. It’s a huge opportunity to bridge classrooms to foster schools where teachers work together to bring powerful lessons to life every day, knowing how to serve diverse learners without sacrificing the integrity of their content.”

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ABOUT LEADING EDUCATORS

Leading Educators is helping education leaders build sustainable environments where teachers and students thrive, igniting the potential for exponential impact in schools and across districts. We partner with states, districts, and public charter networks to design curriculum-based learning and support structures that create the conditions for continuous improvements in teaching across their schools--helping teachers create excellent and equitable student experiences every day. www.leadingeducators.org

Leading Educators’ innovative partnership with Tulsa Public Schools is the focus of a new article in Forbes. Chong-Hao Fu, Leading Educators CEO, explains how increasing district-level supports for teacher-leaders leads to continuous improvement in schools.

“When you do this [approach],” Fu said, “not only are you generating student gains, but you’ve built up the leadership capacity and you’re growing the amazing teachers that you already have in your school building … so it is something that can be sustained over time.”